FELTON >> When Norman Clark passed away in 1985, his beloved creation and the real-life embodiment of his boyhood dreams, Roaring Camp Railroads in Felton, could have easily died with him, or at least metamorphosed under different owners into something he would not recognize today.

But his wife, Georgiana Clark, would have none of that kind of talk. Yes, she had vowed to her husband that she would run the railroad for one year after his death, but after that, she could have easily sold out and returned to her native Hawaii to grow orchids.

Instead, Georgiana, who died March 2 at the age of 81, stuck around and fulfilled her vow to her husband to keep Roaring Camp open, then tacked on 29 years on top of that.

But “Georgie” Clark, as she was widely known, wasn’t merely a caretaker, said those who knew her.

“What Roaring Camp is today,” said former vice president of marketing at the railroad John Poimiroo, “is grander and more expansive than it was when Norm died. And that’s because of her.”

When her husband died, Roaring Camp had been a successful attraction for 20 years by running steam-powered locomotives through the Santa Cruz Mountains every day of the year with the expressed intention of recreating the authentic feel of train transportation of the 19th century. Norman Clark, who was a friend of Walt Disney, himself a lover of trains, insisted on preserving the aesthetics of steam-engine travel.

“She was involved in the business all the way through,” said Poimiroo. “Norm and Georgie were partners. Norm was the visionary and oversaw the entire operation, but Georgie was directly responsible for operations. She was the (retail) buyer, the head chef, the superintendent of the railroad and the tour operator.”

Norman Clark died shortly after Roaring Camp purchased what is now known as the Trees to Sea route from Felton to Main Beach in Santa Cruz. From that point forward, Georgiana Clark maintained her own duties and yet took on her husband’s as well, committing herself to the Roaring Camp ethic of historical authenticity.

That commitment doesn’t come without its costs. Roaring Camp operates four steam-powered trains and each one of them is more than 100 years old. When a part breaks or wears out, it has to be machine-made out of raw metal.

“She could have opted to go out and get diesel locomotives,” said the camp’s senior locomotive engineer Tom Shreve. “Then we could just push a button to go up and down the mountain. But she didn’t. She kept with the original idea, which was to show people exactly what a logging railroad was like in the old days.”

“She became a steam-engine expert because she had to,” said friend Mike Gallagher, who once ran Marine World Africa USA. “She knew every aspect of that business.”

Under her leadership, Roaring Camp expanded, drawing in events as diverse as Civil War re-enactments, Scottish Highland Games and a Thomas the Tank Engine feature for young children. Georgie Clark took on her husband’s mantle as the attraction’s main decision-maker and manager and she did so with aplomb.

“She was a tough executive,” said Poimiroo. “Getting a budget past Georgie was not easy.”

“There were times,” said Tom Shreve, who was first hired by Georgie in 1972, “when you actually thought she was probably a descendent of Pele, the Hawaiian Goddess of Fire.”

However tough she was behind the scenes, Georgie Clark also had a public role to play as the face of Roaring Camp Railroad to the community.

“She knew how to welcome people,” said Poimiroo. “It came from her Hawaiian upbringing. She had that sense of welcome, that sense of aloha, of the celebration of life, and she knew how to communicate it to other people.”

GEORGIANA CLARK

Born: Oct. 28, 1934, Oahu, Hawaii.

Died: March 2, 2016, Felton.

Career: She was the CEO and president of Roaring Camp Railroads, since 1985.

Family: She was an airline stewardess on flights from Hawaii to the Mainland when she first met F. Norman Clark in 1966. She became co-partner in Roaring Camp, originally running the food service, and later expanded her duties.

After her husband’s death, she assumed his position as the company’s CEO, chairman of the board of directors and president. The Clarks raised three daughters in the business. The middle daughter, Melani Clark, eventually succeeded her mother as the Roaring Camp’s CEO.

Leadership role in state tourism: The Clarks were instrumental in reviving the advocacy group for California tourism after the state’s tourism office was closed in the 1970s. Norman Clark helped found the California Travel Industry Association, which brought together travel industry businesses around the state to work for their common good. “Norm and Georgie financed the state association,” said John Poimiroo, who ran the organization years later. “They had this tiny attraction in the Santa Cruz Mountains, but they knew if we didn’t have a viable industry association, our state would suffer.” Georgiana Clark was later recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the organization.

Services: A public memorial for Georgiana Clark will take place at Roaring Camp Railroads in Felton on Monday, April 4, 2016 at 2 p.m.